Poems of Fate: Written in Fear
by Orthros
Summary: After millennia of slumber, Arceus has awoken. Enraged by Damos's betrayal, the God sets his sights on the death of Humans and Pokemon alike. The only hope lies within the ruins of Michina Town: The Poem of Fate. Legendary Vatonage Ranger Charley, joined by his two best friends, Sven and Yuuki, travels through present and past, on a journey of more than just world saving ideals.
1. Prologue

**-Prologue-**

Alright, listen up. I've got a lot of things to say and not a lot of time to say it.

First of all: I am not dead. Don't believe it. No matter who says it, or how they say it, don't lose faith. I am very much _alive_.

If you're reading this, then you probably know of the shitstorm that went down about two days ago. I'm sure you remember the fires, the chaos, humans and pokemon alike running in terror.

It started in Michina Town, of course, the place where Legend has us believe that Arceus saved the world from a meteor shower, and in turn was brought from the brink of Death by a man named Damos. In return, Damos was granted with the Jewel of Life, which turned the wasteland of Michina into a bursting paradise.

Arceus had created the Jewel of Life out of five of his precious Life Plates, however, and he had informed Damos that it was only a matter of time before Damos was required to return the Jewel to his Lord. Damos foolishly believed that, when the Jewel was returned, the land in which his people thrived would return to a horrible dustbowl of neglect. And so instead he betrayed Arceus: Using the missing Life Plates to his advantage the traitorous human and his subjects furiously attacked the one that was once their loved God. They beat Arceus to within an inch of his life, forcing him into a sleep that would last for millennia.

He woke up two days ago, of course. In his terrible fury, he rained his Judgement upon the small city. Buildings exploded, fires erupted, both humans and pokemon were left as nothing but smoking craters. Since then he has begun running rampant across Sinnoh. In retaliation, the Sinnoh Company sent almost half their army on a mission: kill Arceus.

You can probably guess how well that went, but for simplicity's sake I'll tell you: not well at all. The Sinnoh Company has since gone underground, and the other Regions are a bit less trigger happy. Humans and Pokemon are evacuating Sinnoh as fast as possible, now.

It's useless. As of right now, Arceus is unstoppable. At this rate, he'll tear the planet to pieces.

…

Hehe. My buddy Torkoal says 'hi.'

Yeah, I know: Most Pokemon Rangers wouldn't want a Torkoal for a Partner Pokemon. Well to that I say: 'can it!' I couldn't give a shit about your opinion, much less that of other Rangers. Besides, that's not important.

What's important is the Poem. When Arceus went into his slumber, the Elder of Michina, Antiquia Loquitur, recited a Prophecy that would depict a way to calm Arceus, if one could solve it.

I'm writing this because 1) anyone that finds it could be of help, and 2) because I'm hoping that it's Yuuki that's reading this, which I'm willing to bet it is.

…

I miss you, Yuuki. I've seen so, so much, since taking on my role as a Pokemon Ranger. I've seen burning forests, poisoned waters, giant crumbling caves of ice. I've seen terrorists taking hostages, buildings exploding. I've had pokemon die in my arms.

And never, ever, have I felt more hopeless than I feel right now.

I won't give in, Yuuki. I'll find you, and together we'll put a stop to this. If you, or anyone else reads this letter, I urge you to head to the ruins of Michina Town. We need to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Or more accurately, we need to _find_ all the pieces. At present, all I have is the poem. Perhaps you can make more sense of it than me.

 _Three in total will decide for the Earth,_

 _Separate yet together they start at the Birth._

 _The first will head to Gold's lesser equal,_

 _To find the secrets and thus find the sequel._

 _The next will go to the place of the past,_

 _Where technology replaces emotional cast._

 _The last will go to the smallest of Crowns,_

 _Where evil lies in the darkest of frowns._

 _Together they fight_

 _But apart they fail,_

 _And only by unbound trust prevail._

…

Those were his last words.


	2. Chapter 1: Painful Reunions

_**(Author's Note: Hello, Readers! This story was a result of a good idea that I simply couldn't put aside. For those of my fans that don't know, I often have trouble focusing on any one thing for a super long period of time (days, weeks). That in mind, I have created this as my other main story, alongside the**_ **Unbalanced Power** _**series. By going back and forth between these stories, I hope to improve the quality of both by making it not seem so tedious at times. Enjoy!)**_

 _ **(This story is rated M(MA) for blood, gore, terrorism, rape, detailed sexual scenes/lemons, and severe language. You have been warned!)**_

 **10:15 PM**

It's the silence that's the most unsettling. After three days always accompanied by the roar of the flames, the seventeen year old girl was startled nearly into shock by the absence of the sound. She shakes off her nerves and urges the Staraptor beneath her to land. She braces herself against the strong bird-type's neck and he folds his wings, going into a near vertical dive. It only lasts a second before he spreads them once again.

By that time the pair are only a few feet off the ground, hovering. The girl pulls one leg off the Staraptor, then rolls off his side with practiced precision, landing neatly on the ground. The Predator Pokemon, now free of his fragile burden, takes a moment to nuzzle the girl. She pats the side of his neck.

"Thanks a lot, Staraptor. Safe flight!"

She stands for a moment, watching as the Staraptor takes off, leaving her behind. As he gets out of sight, a quiet beep sounds from her wrist. She sighs, momentarily ignoring the sound and instead stretches her arms high above her head, standing momentarily tiptoe and groaning.

The beeping goes silent for a moment, then starts again, and the girl sighs. She brings her fairly skinny right arm up to eye level, and flicks her wrist. On it, a peculiar device recognizes the gesture. It's about five inches long, braced on the back of her wrist to about half way up her forearm. It's rounded top is bright red, and it has a small, yellow antennae on the tip. In response to her wrist flicking, the panel on the top of the device opens up, revealing a high definition screen displaying a rather dusty control room. The girl hadn't seen the place before, but she knew it was the underground version of the Ranger Union back in Almia. It was right below the main building, separated by ten feet of soil and three feet of solid steel. It was the equivalent of a nuclear bunker.

She does know that her sleep deprived features are being displayed to several of the top Operators in Almia via the small camera on the Capture Styler, but she directs her attention to the man in the middle of the room. He looks extremely annoyed.

"Daphne Yuuki, if you don't start answering your Styler messages sooner, I'll have your badge," the man says. He's old and wrinkled, with a shock of white hair and a messy lab coat on. Dark circles under his eyes outline his sleep deprived attitude, and the girl decides to go along with it.

"Apologies, Professor Hastings," The Ranger says formally. "I just landed, and I was stretching. That flight was longer than I expected, not including the absurd amount of time it took to find a Staraptor." The girl sighs, flicking her dark, shoulder length hair out of her face. Her blue eyes analyze the Professor's dark brown ones. "You haven't slept," she noted.

"Of course I haven't," Hastings snapped. "We're in a damned crisis here! You don't have time for minor comforts. Mission report, Daphne Yuuki." He says the last part with authority, but only succeeds in pissing off the girl.

"Oh, can it, Hastings," she snaps. "I'm here, smooth flight, nothing to report. Now, are you going to sit there and complain about me, or are you going to tell me what the hell I'm doing here?" Hastings and the Operators look taken aback, but the girl is on a roll now. "Honestly, you up and tell me to abandon my post and fly nineteen hours to Sinnoh for an 'important mission.' Yeah, well, the sole reason I could think of was you wanted to waste your best Ranger by trying to have her Capture Arceus. Pardon my lack of modesty," she adds.

"I'm warning you," Professor Hastings starts.

"And I'll warn you to call me Yuuki, not Daphne," Yuuki retorts. "We've been over this. Now, stop lecturing me and tell me what the hell you want me to do. I've already lost Charley to that monster." she adds angrily.

The effect of those words is astounding: The whole Communications room goes silent. Even Yuuki seems shocked by her own words. She shakes her head vigorously. "Just tell me what to do," she says, a slight quiver to her voice.

"Your Styler says you landed in Celestic Town," Professor Hastings says immediately, his voice now solely professional. "Satellite images show that the cave may have survived Arceus's arrival in Celestic. It might have some insight to how to defeat Arceus." Yuuki just nods firmly, then looks away from her Styler and inspects her surroundings for the first time.

Had the Styler coordinates not told her otherwise, she would've never believed she had arrived in Celestic Town. She had never personally been, but she had seen pictures. It was a quaint little village in Sinnoh, situated in a valley. It was famous for its ancient cave drawings of the mythical pokemon Dialga and Palkia. The idea was sound: Dialga and Palkia, being direct children of Arceus, would probably be able to clue into weaknesses of the beast.

Keyword _was_. Now it was nothing but a crater. She had landed at the supposed entrance to the village, but instead she had found a giant, charred hole. She gazed out over what had once been Celestic: a ring of deep holes and the remains of buildings, trees, and… less welcome sights.

She took a moment to steel her nerves, then tapped on her Styler. The little screen flipped around, angling the camera in the direction of her pointer finger. She held out her arm to give the HQ a live update.

"Lord above…" she heard Hastings mutter. She slowly started walking into the pit. She found the main stairway in the Village, which had provided a direct way up to the entrance to the city. It was mostly crumbled rubble now, and was nearly disintegrated in places. She picked her way through the jagged boulders, taking care not to be cut. After over an hour, she found the bottom of the pit. Or, what looked like the bottom.

She gazed around, pointing her camera all over the 50 foot circle of land she had arrived on. "Professor," she started, "there's nothing he-EERE!" she squealed in surprise as the ground suddenly gave way beneath her. She frantically rotated around and grabbed wildly for a hand hold from the rocks behind her, but only succeeded in putting a deep scratch in the top of her non-styler hand.

She fell towards the ground at the speed of a truck. Desperately, she tried to orient herself to tuck and roll the landing. Had she been given another half a second, she would've been able to do it, but she landed hard on her feet. Her feet didn't like that. She heard a terrible crunch, then screamed in pain and collapsed on the ground.

"Yuuki! YUUKI!" Professor Hastings yelled through the mic. He turned to one of the Operators. "Get Sven over there!"

"Right!"

Yuuki could hear all this clearly, but she was too busy trying to get a hold of herself. Her right leg was screaming in pure agony, her vision tinted red. She instinctively tried to grab her injured leg, but when that only caused the pain to escalate, she let go, gasping for breath.

 _Heaven's sakes, Yuuki, get a GRIP!_ She thought furiously to herself. She forced herself to go absolutely still. With her position, she might've been asleep. Agonizingly slowly, the pain in her leg dies down to barely tolerable levels, and her breathing got under control.

"Yuuki?" Professor Hastings asked hesitantly. In the background, she could hear another Ranger talking urgently to one of the Operators.

"Yes?" she responded, her voice barely a whisper.

"Oh, thank God," Professor Hastings said. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know," Yuuki stammered. She struggled to maintain her train of thought through the pain. "The ground gave way beneath me… I must've been on top of the cave, and if it was weakened by the blasts, I would've been too much weight. Stupid…" she muttered that last part.

Hastings wisely ignores the last comment. "Can you move your arms? Your camera is still in tact, but we can't see anything. We've remote activated your flashlight. Angle it over your body so we can assess the damage."

She groaned, but did as they asked. She slowly lifted her arm, wincing at a pain in her chest. She must've at least bruised a rib when she collapsed. It was only when she turned it to her leg that the professor gasped. "What?"

"Nothing major," Hastings responded, sounding casual. "I wouldn't recommend looking at your leg, though," he adds.

"Noted," she responds, chuckling weakly. A tear trickles down her cheek.

By itself, the camera on the Styler turns around to face Yuuki again, it's flashlight dimming so as not to blind her. An older lady is now standing next to Professor Hastings. Her gray hair is done into two towering pigtails, and her orange dress with yellow trim is faded, slightly. She leans over and appears to only be standing with the help of her cane.

"Calm yourself, Yuuki," Chairperson Erma says, her voice kind but stern. "You should be safe for the time being. We've had your Styler scan the surrounding area for any threats, and it has found none. Also, your Partner is about five seconds out," She smiles.

Sure enough, a couple seconds later a small, blue and red blur rockets into the cave and lands, twittering madly, on Yuuki's shoulder. The Top Ranger smiles at her Taillow's distress. "Hey, Taillow," she says tiredly. She strokes the bird's small head.

"Sven has received your distress call. He's about ten minutes away."

Another voice chimes in, this one cool and collected. The screen separates itself into two halves, one staying on the two elders, while the other reveals the slim face of Sven, grinning at her from atop a Staraptor's back.

"Don't worry, Yuuki, I'm coming. We can't have you laying around, now, can we?" he jokes. He's got dark green dyed hair, with a red and white fedora, and dressed in an identical, but male oriented, version of the Ranger's uniform.

Yuuki smiles, although it's watery. "Thanks, Sve-" A growl cuts off the last part of the message and she stiffens up, immediately going silent.

"What was that…? Professor Hastings says nervously.

Yuuki scans the cave carefully with her eyes. Then she looks up, and the camera catches her astonished expression. "Professor…?" She says, her voice a timid squeak. "Could you tell Sven to come a little faster, please? And maybe rescan the area for threats?"

Her camera turns, revealing the glowing red eyes of a Houndoom, staring hungrily at her from atop the cave.

"SVEN, MOVE!" Professor Hastings screams.

"Right!" He cuts off his mic, though from the picture alone they can tell he's urging his Staraptor to new speeds. The wind whips at his face, but even as he does, the Houndoom jumps clear to the floor of the cave, landing almost catlike in front of her. Taillow launches herself furiously at the Houndoom, but he swats her aside, raking a claw down her chest. The bird screams once and then is silent, but the Styler's info on her Partner Pokemon tells Yuuki that she's only fainted.

He turns to face her, and she gulps. "Now, Mr. Houndoom, I didn't mean to anger you…" She starts fearfully. The Houndoom seems to take no notice, walking slowly forward, staring into her eyes. Then he looks down. From the angle he's starring, Yuuki realizes at once what he's doing. "No," she musters every ounce of courage she has left.

He takes no notice as he ends up next to her, towering over her. She gulps, sucks in a breath, then shouts: "Capture, On!" A burst of white light explodes from the end of the Styler, and a top comes shooting out the side. Quickly, Yuuki spins her arm and the top follows her movements, starting to spin around the Houndoom's midriff. The action causes her chest to flare in pain.

She only gets one spin before he pins her arm with one of his front paws. The top launches away and smashes into a corner of the room. It loses all momentum and lays on it's side, useless. She begins hyperventilating. Professor Hastings barks an order to one of the Operators, and the camera is quickly oriented back to the scene.

They can only watch helplessly as the Houndoom takes his other claw and slowly cuts open the Ranger's shorts, exposing her slit to the open air. She shivers. The beast's member quickly comes into view, and it licks its lips hungrily.

"It's going to rape her," Erma says weakly. "Hurry, Sven!"

"Shit!" Sven yells. He urges Staraptor even faster. Some part of him believes he'll make it.

He knows in his heart that he won't.

Yuuki shivers as Houndoom puts his nose to her slit and licks. Her body goes against her mind and she moans, though she tries to hide it. Her leg still burns in agony even as the Houndoom positions himself atop her. He's got one of his back legs pinning her good one.

He's an inch away when a bright light flares above them. Yuuki screams as a blast of pure heat erupts over her. The Houndoom is blasted away, landing in a heap in the corner of the cave.

"Flamethrower again!" Someone shouts, and another blast of fire erupts from the rim of the hole, keeping the Houndoom in the corner. Suddenly a dark shape launches itself against the night sky, a human shaped silhouette. It lands in the middle of the cave, tucking and rolling much more successfully than Yuuki. The stranger takes a fighting stance, yelling; "Capture, On!"

Yet another burst of white light erupts, but It's too quick to reveal much of the person's face except that she's sure now it's a guy, though the voice alone did that. The fresh top spins quickly around the Houndoom. Yuuki can tell at once he's experienced. The capture is nearly complete when the Houndoom manages to orient himself once more. He slashes at the band, but quicker than should be possible, the Ranger whips his arm to the side, and the top dances out of the way. He brings it back in and spins the top faster. The beam of light wraps itself tightly around Houndoom, seems to go super nova for a moment, then disappears. The top jumps back into the Styler.

"Capture Complete," the guy says happily. "Houndoom, go up and help my partner protect this area," he adds. The Houndoom, now bonded to the Ranger, heads back up via a few tricky looking platforms of rock.

The Ranger turns to Yuuki, and she gasps.

"Ch-Ch-Charley?!"

The Ranger nods, quickly walking over to the Taillow the Houndoom had attacked. He pulls a potion from a small backpack and sprays it on the bird. The cut closes, scarring over, but her breathing slows and his Styler show that her vitals are stable. Gently, he picks Taillow up, walks over and sits down next to Yuuki, carefully avoiding looking at her midsection. He places Taillow in her arms.

"How… How?!" Yuuki says frantically, but Charley puts an arm gently on her shoulder, then hugs her. She forces herself not to break down, though she badly wants to. Charley breaks away and pulls off his shirt. _A plain tee shirt_ , Yuuki notes. _Not a Ranger's uniform._ He pulls out a pocket knife and cuts the shirt, making a square with about a quarter of it. Gently, taking care not to touch, he covers Yuuki. She blushes heavily at him.

"This is gonna hurt, Yuuki, there's no way around it," Charlie warns. She nods and he gets positioned at her side. Then, as quickly as possible, he jabs down on her broken leg. She screams in agony as he wraps it tightly in the rest of the shirt, sobbing. He's finished after only a few seconds. Her chest goes up and down rapidly as she tries to regain her breath. He takes her hand in his and rubs it. Only then does she realize she's making a fist so tight her hand has turned white. She releases the tension and sighs deeply as the pain in her leg recedes.

At that moment, a third Ranger, though only the second to do so willingly, dives into the cave. He rushes over and kneels down at her side. "Yuuki! You ok?!" Then he gets a clear look at Charley's face. "WHAT THE HELL?!" He yells, standing quickly and backing up a couple steps.

"WOULD SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" A third voice bellows. It sounds a bit weird, coming from two different speakers, and Sven winces, taking a look at Professor Hasting's face in the device.

"You tell me," he says, then points his camera at Charley.

"Hey, Professor," Charley says casually. "Good news: I'm not dead!"


	3. Chapter 2: A Memorial Trio

**11:50 PM**

"Less talky, more planny," Charley says as Professor Hastings starts stuttering incoherently. He glances at Sven, who has pulled out a 'shake to activate' ice pack and is in the process of dabbing gently at Yuuki's leg. He's placed his small backpack under her head, and she lays still as stone, doing her best not to moan in pain. He winces at the blood covered wound, a sharp, stubble end of bone sticking partially out of the skin.

"We can't move her," Sven says when he catches Charley's eye. "We either have to spend the night here, or try to find a psychic type to levitate her out." He pats Yuuki reassuringly on the shoulder, then places the pack down once again. She gasps, but otherwise stays silent.

"You're the better medic, Sven," Charley responds. "Stay here, keep treating her leg. There's no way I'm letting us spend the night in a cave with half of an unreliable ceiling above us. I'll go look for a Psychic type."

Sven nods. He watches as Charley carefully scales the rocky incline that the Houndoom had used earlier, ending up at the rim of the crater. Then he looks back at Yuuki. Her eyes are tearful, though he thinks it's less due to the pain now, considering the ice pack's effectiveness.

"How long were the two of you together?" Sven asks casually. It wasn't a question he was comfortable asking, but all the better to distract her.

It takes her several moments to respond: "Three… Three months."

"Tell me about it," Sven responds. "What do you see in him?" He fakes a horrified expression. "You two didn't get _up to anything_ while on duty, did you? Hastings will have your head for it," he says mischievously.

"Sven!" Her eyes widen and she blushes, knowing that Prof. Hastings and the Operators would hear every word they were saying. "No, we didn't get _up to anything_. He's proud, brave, and noble…" She trails off, lost in happy memories.

"I'm proud, brave, and noble," Sven says, grinning.

"Proud, brave, noble, and not a trouble maker," Yuuki corrects herself.

"Ok, that's fair," he grins. Yuuki laughs, but it quickly turns into a painful cough. "Damn you, Yuuki," Sven grunts, putting an arm on her shoulder to keep her from shaking. "You should've told me about your chest. Lemme grab another ice pack."

 **Charley's POV - 11:55 PM**

Charley made a small smile, having overheard the conversation from the rim of the cave. He took a moment to snap a large branch from a nearby tree, then went over to stand by his Partner.

"Toar, torkoal, tor!" The Coal Pokemon wheezed. A puff of smoke blew from the hole atop his blackened shell. Charley chuckled, reaching down and patting Torkoal's shell. Most people, he noted, would consider him insane to do such a thing, but then again, most people didn't know that as long as you refrained from touching the few holes on the shell, it was perfectly safe.

"Oi, Houndoom!" Charley called from atop the ridge. In seconds the Fire-Dark type reappeared. From the direction, Charley knew he was keeping lookout around the rim of the crater. He held out the branch. "Take this down to the cave, please, and light it with a weak Ember attack." He supervises as Houndoom does as he asks, half carrying, half dragging the large branch down into the cave with his teeth. He pulls it a few feet to the side of Yuuki and Sven, who's got a weary hand on his Styler, and puffs a small fire into the center. In moments a roaring flame erupts, casting a warm glow onto the two Rangers. Houndoom returns to Charley's side.

Charley pats him on the head. "Thanks, Houndoom. Stay safe." Houndoom runs off into the trees. He stares wearily at the spot where it vanished from view. _I hope I don't regret that,_ he thinks to himself.

With that happy thought in mind, Charley sets out across the darkened crater. Torkoal follows behind, keeping pace with the athletic Ranger despite his slow demeanor. As he walks, his mind wanders. It's an Arceus given gift to him, he thinks, although he debates thanking Arceus after all the shit he and his friends have been through these last couple days. He can do just about any Capture related task you can think of, and yet his mind is in a completely different zone.

He goes on autopilot and gets lost in memories.

 **Three Months Ago (Memory)**

"Look out! RUN!" A voice screamed, disrupting what had been until a moment ago been a peaceful, entertaining Graduation Ceremony. The Ranger School's two top classes had turned to see a boy dressed in a lab coat, with a mushroom shaped clump of blond hair on his head, running pell-mell towards them. What he had been running _from_ became clear moments later, when two enormous tangles of vines came charging out of the underground laboratory in which only he and his teacher ever visited.

Students screamed and scattered, and teachers herded them out the front gates of the school. The evacuation seemed to be going well: The Tangrowths had been distracted by something on the ground by one of the classrooms. In all the panic, only two students actually realized what that distraction was, or rather _who_ it was.

"C'mon! Sven yelled. Together, rivals he and Charley leapt away from the teachers. One of the Tangrowths loomed over Yuuki. As it prepared to swing, Sven shouted "HEY, PEA-BRAIN!" He threw a small stone at the creature's back. The beast jerked, and it's fist impacted the wall right above Yuuki, showering her with dirt and stone.

The first beast turned, and Sven seemed to deflate a little, grinning sheepishly as he activated his School Styler. The other one, though, swung its arm at Yuuki, too. She would've been crushed, but Charley ran in out of nowhere and managed to pull her away. He proceeded to Capture the other Tangrowth. It was a tough fight, but the rookie Rangers were also the best in their class. After several painstaking minutes, two shouts of "Capture Complete" called the rest of the school back in, the crowd cheering madly.

Then they went silent as Yuuki pulled Charley close and kissed him, lips and all. It was several moments before she pulled away, by which time Charley's face had grown more red than anyone could remember.

"Thanks for saving me, Charley," she said, blushing as well.

Charley grinned. "Bah. You wouldn't have needed saving if that dork Paul hadn't broken your Styler."

"Hey!" A voice from the crowd yelled.

"It's true!" Charley shouted back. Then he turned back to Yuuki. "Oh, and by the way, you kinda just kissed me in front of all the staff, not to mention our parents…"

Yuuki turned wide eyed to the crowd, as if just realizing they were there. "Oh damn…" She muttered.

Sven thumped Yuuki on the back, then laced one arm around her and the other around Charley. "Took you long enough, though. Better late than never, eh?

 **Few Minutes Later (Memory)**

"DAPHNE ALICE YUUKI, IF YOU KISS SOMEONE LIKE THAT AGAIN BEFORE YOU TURN EIGHTEEN, SO HELP ME I WILL FLAY YOU ALIVE!"

"Mom!"

 **One Month Ago (Memory)**

"Fuck you," Charley muttered, panting heavily. He squinted through the darkness. The clouds were so black, it was impossible to see past the edge of the Altru Tower. He clutched his Styler arm, where a deep cut was etched into the crook of his elbow.

He sensed a presence behind him. He whirled around, supporting his Styler with both arms, and lashed it out. It whirled towards a spot where the darkness seemed to condense, it's rainbow trail growing extra wide at his command. It circled once before the glowing red eyes appeared out of the smoke. He got a couple spins in before a flurry of dark, razor like blues of wind lashed out from the monster. Charley pulled his arm up so quickly his shoulder popped, succeeding in preventing his Styler from taking damage.

He was getting close, he could tell. The Darkrai seemed to sense it, too. It growled it's ghastly cry, and a field of black, gaseous fumes appeared right in the path of the top. He pulled back, slamming his arm downward.

This time he wasn't so lucky.

The top flew through the edge of the smoke, and it shuddered. The device made a panicked, high pitched squealing sound as his top started smoking and sparking. He couldn't take another hit.

Laughter sounded from behind Darkrai, insane, maniacal laughter. Blake Hall stood at his machine, turned to level three, controlling Darkrai. "This is the end, Ranger! Darkness with reign, and your death will be the first of millions!"

"You're mental! Charley shouted desperately. "I'll defeat you!"

Blake simply grinned. "You've no idea," he taunted. "No idea of this machine's _true_ power. The hidden fourth level… Level _DARK!"_

With a maniacal laugh, Blake typed furiously on his machine, ignoring the dire warnings of his creepy assistant, Wheeler. At once, the orbs, which had been sparking green, turned blood red. The lights on the tower exploded one by one, and the orbs suddenly shattered into millions of sharp shards. Blake screamed in pain as several of them impaled him in the face. Darkrai seemed to yell in agony as well. The dark clouds that had nearly broken his Charley's Styler expanded, snaking their way over to Blake. They slowly snaked themselves over him, and over the wind Hall Jr. screamed for mercy. They died down moments later. Wheeler didn't even scream.

Charley was suddenly very much alone with Darkrai. It slowly started floating towards him, and with every inch, victory seemed more and more impossible. Hopelessness flooded through him, despair as he had never felt before. The Ranger dropped to his knees, choking on a sob. Darkrai would swallow him, then his family, friends, everyone in Almia.

He'd failed.

"Charley! CHARLEY!" A pair of voices screamed at him. He looked up to see Sven and Yuuki, bucking around wildly in the fumes on their Staraptor, screaming at him. "DON'T GIVE UP!"

Charley felt something shift in him then. He put one leg up, into a kneeling position. Then the other. Then he stood. His back straightened as the power of his friends's heartfelt emotion poured into him. His styler started sparking. He looked down at it, shocked to see a glow each of red, blue, and yellow: the shards from the Tears of Princes, with visible bands of energy streaming from his friends and himself, pouring the power into his Styler.

He suddenly felt elated. He stood straighter, and spoke with a voice so powerful, every Pokemon and person in Almia heard his words.

"It is _not_ over. Darkness will not consume any more souls while I, protected by the courage of my friends and loved ones, protect Almia." He looked directly into the devilish eyes of Darkrai. "I am more powerful than you, demon. CAPTURE, ON!"

The top spun faster, sparking with red, blue, and yellow crackles of lightning. It spun faster and faster around Darkrai. Darkrai desperately threw dozens more black razorwinds, but with a skill and reflex that seemed beyond any human capability, Charley's arm slashed, rolled, dipped and dived, and the top followed his every movement. Not a single evil blade struck the device, and still faster it spun, until the beam tightened over Darkrai. It seemed to explode in pure light, blinding Charley.

It was several moments before he could see. When his vision finally cleared, however, he thought it was a hallucination. The black, hurricane winds that had surrounded the tower had vanished, and the beautiful view from atop Altru Tower was filled with bright blue sky as far as the eye could see. The Shadow Crystal, which had been a shade of black so pure it seemed to absorb the light around it, was now see through clear, and in the sunlight it seemed to sparkle in a rainbow of hues. Charley processed all of this before he realized he had fallen to his knees.

He stood, noticing that the cut on his arm had magically healed, but that he was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. Then he heard the growl. He spun around to see Darkrai hovering a few feet away. It growled again, but somehow Charley could tell that it lacked any malice. He floated forward, and Charley hesitantly put out his hand. Darkrai pushed it's forehead against his palm for a moment, then nodded respectfully to Charley.

"You're welcome," Charley said. Darkrai turned away and flew off into the sky.

He watched for a moment, then cried out as a heavy weight slammed into him. He went sprawling to the roof of the Altru Tower, smothered by the body of Yuuki. She kissed him. Hard. Charley only hesitated a moment before kissing her back. He managed to sit up, holding her.

When they broke for air, Charley grinned. "I think we did it."

Yuuki laughs: "Oh, gee. You _think?_ "

"Ya know, Yuuki, you could do some good pics," Sven says jokingly, pointing over his shoulder. "You do the publicity well." Behind him, several helicopters, filled with news reporters, filmed the roof.

Charley rubs his chin thoughtfully, having stood up. "You know? I think I can handle a little publicity." He then pulls Yuuki close, and the kiss they share is accompanied by a cheer so loud it's heard all across Almia: the sound of millions of citizens cheering in relief and happiness.

"I'm starting to feel like a third wheel," Sven complains.

Yuuki chuckles. "You could kiss Charley, if that would help."

Charley fake gags. "I'd rather fight Darkrai again."

Sven laughs hard at this. He wipes a tear from his eye. "I'll be honest, I'm alright with it. Let's get something to eat first, I'm star- Charley?"

Charley had just stumbled, Yuuki momentarily held him up until he could get his balance. "Sorry," he mumbled. "A little tired."

Yuuki laughs. "Let's get you back to the Ranger Station."

Darkness, but not an unfriendly one.

 **Midnight (Present Day)**

"Capture, Complete!" Charley pulls himself back into the present, laying his eyes upon a curious looking Kadabra. He crouches down next to him. "Hello," he says. "I've got a friend that's hurt badly. She's in a place that's pretty dangerous right now. Do you think you could levitate her away, and possibly find us a safe place to stay the night?" Kadabra nods happily, then takes Charley's arm. Before the Ranger can react, A white flash erupts around him, and he's standing next to Sven, who leaps back in surprise. Charley looks around wildly, but sighs in relief when he sees Torkoal still beside him.

"Oh, you're back," Sven says. He points to Yuuki's leg. "I used some of the branches, along with my climbing rope, to make a makeshift splint. It isn't perfect, and it sure as hell won't last long, but it'll do until we can get her to a healer." Sure enough, Yuuki makes a small wave at Charley, her leg wrapped up in what appears to be Sven's backup uniform cloth, thick rope, and several whittled pieces of branch.

"Looks good. Alright, Kadabra. Can you keep her straight, and lead us to a safe place?" Kadabra nods. His eyes glow blue, and Yuuki's body glows in response. Gently, he raises her up, then floats she and himself to the top of the ravine. They wait while Charley and Sven follow, Charley carrying Torkoal. Once they get to the surface, Kadabra floats shortly ahead, leading the way. Charley falls into step with Sven, Torkoal walking alongside. "So, Sven… Where's your Partner?"

Sven looks dejected. "Riolu's stuck in Almia. I had to book it over here, and I wanted her to be safe." Charley grimaces, knowing now why Sven seems depressed: Pokemon Rangers develop a strong bond with their Partners, and it's hard on both sides to be separated.

"Kada, Dabra Ka!" Kadabra barks at the Rangers. They look up in Unison to see a small cave entrance. Charley looks back, and from his point of view he can easily make out the details of the wasteland of Celestic Town. He shivers and turns back to the group, nodding to Kadabra. Kadabra leads them into the cave, which is surprisingly warmer than the outside. Inside is a small room, complete with a human sized bed that seems to be made of Mareep wool. Kadabra lays Yuuki on the bed, and she sighs in relief A few seconds later she falls asleep.

Sven looks around, then at Kadabra. "I'm guessing this is your home, and you sometimes allow travelers to use the bed, or even nurse them back to health." Kadabra nods, a small grin forming. He points to a couple more beds, which at first glance had been hidden by a large boulder.

Charley shakes his head. "Thanks so much, Kadabra." He pulls off his Styler.

" _You're welcome._ " Charley jumps, and Sven does, too. " _Hehe. Telepathy,"_ The kadabra adds, laughing mischievously.

Charley laughs weakly. "I wasn't expected, though I guess I should have. Thanks again, Kadabra." He turns to his Styler, tapping the device. Immediately, Professor Hastings answers. Erma stands next to him, and both look severely worried.

"Vatonage Ranger Charley Mason reporting."

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Professor Hastings yells. Charley, despite being in fact thousands of miles away from the man, seems to shrink, and Sven winces in sympathy.

"I only woke up a few hours ago," Charley responds. "My Styler was nearly destroyed. It's basic functions, Capture and Radar, were enabled. When I woke, I saw Yuuki was in Sinnoh, too, so I decided to head to her. On the other hand, I had to work on the fly to repair my Video Message function. I could've used Ernie, no doubt. However, the first thing I hear when I turn the damn Chat on is 'SVEN, MOVE!' I could guess the rest simply by looking at the video. Thankfully I was close enough to get there in time."

Professor Hastings gets a look in his eye that Charley knows well, and he holds up his hand. "WIth all due respect, Professor, Yuuki is down for the count, and both Sven and I are close to it. We're safe for the moment, and at this second the only word I can register is 'sleep.' We'll talk more in the morning."

"We're in a-"

"A damn crisis, I know," Charley snaps. "You'd think being _in_ Michina Town when this shit went down would give you a hint." His voice drips in venom, and the Professor wisely quiets down. "We'll talk in the morning," Charley repeats. Without waiting for a reply, he cuts the communication.

Sven whistles. "And Yuuki calls _me_ a troublemaker.

Charley chuckles tiredly, laying on the woolen pillow.


	4. Chapter 3: The Beginning of the End

_**(Author's Note: For those of you who don't know, Michina Town actually doesn't show up on the Sinnoh Map. Stupid, I know, but there wasn't much I could do about it. I decided, therefore, to have Michina located North-West of Veilstone City, on a**_ _ **made up**_ _**river that starts on the small bay area, again North West of Veilstone City. The river itself starts on the southernmost tip of the bay, goes directly west onto Route 210, before changing direction and heading South East, ending in Lake Valor. Michina Town, therefore, is located near Routes 210 and 215, in between Celestic Town and Veilstone City. If I can, I'll get a picture of the Sinnoh Map on my profile, with the River included. Enjoy!**_

 _ **PS: If I'm wrong, and Michina actually DOES have a location, or at least a general location, LET ME KNOW VIA REVIEW OR PM. Preferably before the end of Nov. 2016. By then, it'll be too late to change it.)**_

 **-Three Days Ago-**

Charley stretched as he stepped out of the truck, onto the dry road. He took a moment to groan, pushing his palms against his lower back and feeling, not to mention hearing, a satisfying crack.

The driver, a rather grubby looking man in his late forties, chuckled as he hopped out as well. "It takes some getting used to," he says. He walks around the back of the vehicle and pops open the uncovered back door. Inside, laying on a small rag, is Torkoal. The fire type grunts in annoyance as his human Partner lifts him and places him on the ground.

"Sorry, Torkoal," Charley says apologetically. "You couldn't ride in the cab, not with the smoke from your shell. My point exactly," he adds as Torkoal inhales a small whiff of dust from the road, causing him to sneeze and eject a large cloud of black smoke in the Ranger's face. The Ranger descends into a fit of coughing, during which he pulls out his wallet from his pocket.

"Ugh, here," he says, handing the driver several twenties. The driver raises his eyebrows.

"Son, this is nearly twice as much as you owe me. You sure?"

Charley nods. "Consider it thanks for getting me over here double time on such short notice. "I'll see you soon, if I live through today."

"Wait, what?" The man says confusedly, but by then Charley had already run off.

He sighs as the dusty road gives way to concrete, which then gives way to a plaza surrounded by Roman style houses and art. People are all over, mostly families and citizens going about their daily lives. Ducking into an alleyway, Charley takes a moment to pull off his black shorts and hoodie, which reveal his Ranger uniform: Khaki shorts, a light red sweatjacket with white undershirt, and a fedora, which he puts over his head, shielding his eyes from the harsh sun.

Charley slips his styler from the pocket of his uniform and clips it to his wrist. The device senses his pulse and turns on, vibrating slightly. After a moment it goes silent, meaning that either no new news had come through, or, more likely, no one was watching his Styler because everyone was dealing with another crises or two.

 _Seems like we've a lot of those recently._

"Tor, Torkoal." Charley's Partner pokemon wheezed. The noise snapped the Ranger out of his silent state.

"Right. Let's go," he responds, shaking his head and, having thrown his other clothing into his backpack, Charley walks back out onto the street.

The sight of a Ranger and his Partner pokemon in Michina Town, which rarely had any problems other than everyday crooks, was rare enough. However, it only took a few moments for people to start recognizing Charley's face. Pretty soon the streets were much more crowded, and it took nearly a half hour for Charley to push through them to make it to the Pokemon Center. There, he got himself a bottle of water and a coffee and sat in a corner. The crowd rushed in, asking him questions, to take and sign pictures, and to pet Torkoal. The Coal Pokemon, unlike his Ranger Partner, seemed to enjoy the attention.

Everything went dead silent when an older voice spoke with surprising authority: "What are you doing here?"

Charley turned toward the sound of the voice. The man was bound to a wheelchair, but his suit and withered face held a look of wisdom, kindness, and gentleness. However, he looked neither gentle nor kind at that time. On the contrary, he looked nervous, if not downright fearful. He gazed hard at the Vatonage Ranger, but Charley held it with ease.

"Official business on behalf of the Ranger Union, Mr…?"

"Morgans. Derek Morgans."

Charley nodded, approaching the man and holding out his hand. "Great to meet you, Mr. Morgans. I'm Charley Mason."

The man shook with Charley, though it seemed with reluctance. "What 'business,' if you don't mind me asking?"

"Classified," Charley stated. "Sorry, Sir, but it's between myself and the higher ups in the Ranger depot in Jubilife and over in Almia."

"And us," a new voice said. The visitors spun around to see a man and a woman standing at the back of the crowd. They wore matching outfits of navy blue with white trim. The man had blond hair with yellow eyes, while the girl had dark brown hair and blue eyes. The outfits themselves seemed regal, and the pair held themselves with an air of power and strength.

"Sheena, and Kevin," Charley says, sounding relieved. "I'm glad you were able to find me."

"It wasn't hard," the girl, Sheena, responded. "All we had to do was follow the crowds."

Charley grimaced. "It works, I suppose. "Shall we?"

Kevin nods. "Follow us."

Charley nods, and several of the citizens notice his left hand maintain a white knuckled grip atop his styler.

"Son," Charley stops in the doorway as Mr. Mason calls to him. He turns around. Mr. Mason has a saddened look on his face. "You're going to do what I think you are, aren't you?"

Charley stays silent for a moment, his expression neutral. Finally, he sighs. "Yes," is all he says.

Mr. Mason simply nods. "Good luck to you, then."

Charley just nodded, leaving. Mr. Mason watches him go, ignoring the questions being thrown at him.

 _O Arceus, forgive us of our sins. Have mercy,_ he thinks to himself.

A moment later, Charley was sitting in the backseat of a rusty, dark green jeep, Torkoal by his side. The car had no top, instead open to the wind. He held the roll cage out of instinct as Kevin drove up a steep mountain side.

"The ruins themselves are spread out all around the mountain," Sheena, who was riding shotgun, said. She passed a paper map back to Charley, who looked at it with interest. "As you can see, it seems they built the main structure inside this mountain, which has eroded away quite a bit since then. This road wasn't there back then, it was built within the last twenty years."

"Alright," Charley responds. "You two seem to know what you're doing."

Kevin snorts as he parks the car in a small lot at the top of the road. "We try, but if what we found is accurate, I wish we hadn't." He leads the group up a short, albeit winding staircase, which opens up into an ancient courtyard.

Charley whistles, running his hand gently over one of the columns that supports an arch at the top of the staircase. "This has got to be thousands of years old."

"Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty," Sheena says proudly. "We're part of a large group that keeps the place in tact. But we also allow excavation," she adds, her voice dropping. "Which is why we've called you."

Charley nods firmly. "Show me."

Kevin leads them down a staircase, which ends at a door. Made of solid steel and possessing an electronic keypad, Charley had a minor suspicion that it was only recently installed. Kevin keyed in a code and the door opened with a light hiss.

Inside was a small room, lit with worklights. A couple of folding tables sat along one wall, and they, along with the dusty ground, were home to several laptops, stacks of papers, boxes, and generators. Charley gazed at one of the screens and spotted several different translator tools running over what appeared to be the same picture.

"That," Kevin said grimly, "Is what we've called you about."

The Vatonage Ranger stared. "What the hell…?" He muttered.

Several of the work lights lit up the far section of the wall. Upon it, ornate carvings and paintings were depicted. In the middle bottom of the mosaic, Earth, as it was back then, was painted in severely faded colors. A pokemon seemed to be staring over it, bigger than the planet itself. Even through the horribly faded paint, Charley could see a devilish fire in it's eyes. It stared at the world as though it wanted nothing more than to see it burn. Around the Pokemon's head, fires were burning, and various people pokemon could be seen in positions of agony, their screams etched forevermore in the stone.

"Look closer," Sheena advised.

Charley did so, and he realized there were words carved into the ornate surface of the stone, painted over and through to form the scene.

 _Corripiet totalis tribus terrae_

 _Sed Singula in partu sibi ipsi committitur._

 _Primum caput est aurum de minori aequalem,_

 _Invenire inveniet secreta subnectam._

 _Ad loca proxima praeterita_

 _Ubi nulla locum passionis misit._

 _Novissimi ad minima coronatam_

 _Quo asperior est malum est in ecclesia sanctorum._

 _Simul pugnare_

 _Sed non sine illis,_

 _Nisi per fidem solutos, et potens poteris._

"Latin," Charley recognized. "I had a life, outside of the Ranger School, you know," he added as Sheena raised a brow in surprise.

"The actual lines are as follows," She said. She held up a slip of paper and read:

" _Three in total will decide for the Earth,_

 _Separate yet together they start at the Birth._

 _The first will head to Gold's lesser equal,_

 _To find the secrets and thus find the sequel._

 _The next will go to the place of the past,_

 _Where technology replaces emotional cast._

 _The last will go to the smallest of Crowns,_

 _Where evil lies in the darkest of frowns._

 _Together they fight_

 _But apart they fail,_

 _And only by unbound trust prevail."_

She finished, and a grim silence descended upon the small room. Kevin winced, then pulled out a box from under the table. He pulled the top of the wooden crate open, and a spherical device was revealed. In it, five orbs, made of intertwined pieces of thin, ornate silver, spun and hovered. Two were of identical size, one pink and one blue. Another was much larger, and inside it a sphere painted green and blue spun. The next still was dark purple, and although it was but a piece of metal, it seemed to radiate an odd combination of anger and need towards the largest. The last was a light copper, and it was much, much smaller than the others. Charley raised a brow at it.

"This is a modernized model of an ancient piece of technology," Sheena explained. "The old ones are designed exactly the same way, but they're so old that they fall apart if we so much as touch them. So we made our own."

"And this piece of tech _is_ …?" Charley responds questioningly.

"It's designed to keep in touch with the energy of our dimension," Sheena explains. "See, the biggest dimension, here, with the crude model Earth in it? That's our dimension. Everything we know of exists solely within that sphere. This, this is what we use to keep track of the Creation Pokemon."

"WHAT?!" Charley yells, taking a step back from the machine. He shakes his head and calms down quickly, though. "And you just _happen_ to have this sitting in a dusty room?"

"Behind a high security door, with the equivalent of an army willing to protect it at all costs," Kevin adds. "Honestly, relax."

He walks up and rubs his fingers delicately across the large sphere. "Like Sheena said, this represents our dimension. The small, purple one, that's the Reverse World. I'm sure you know, but Arceus banished Giratina there after his chaotic behavior. The pink and blue ones, on the other hand, represent Palkia's and Dialga's dimensions, respectively. You can see how they're kept strictly apart. That's good. But the problem lies with the last dimension."

As if in response, the copper colored sphere emitted a sudden shriek, warping slightly. It appeared to almost collapse in on itself, and for a second Charley was afraid it would burst. But then it settled back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Arceus's," Charley guessed.

"Money," Kevin responded. "Arceus has been asleep for almost three _thousand_ years. And if this machine is correct, he's about to wake."

"My lord…" Charley breathed. "If the legends are true…"

"Arceus will rain fire upon the world," Sheena continued. "In his fury, he'll burn every pokemon and human alike to ashes. And the legends are true."

"Oh man…" Charley leaned against one of the walls, his knees suddenly weak. "The only real way to defeat him lies within the poem, right?"

"Correct. And at this rate… he wakes tomorrow." Sheena trailed off, her voice catching.

"Shit." Charley tapped on his Styler, and the Ranger Union's control center came into view. The operators had a split second view of his panicked face, before he got a hold of himself. He tapped another button on his Styler, and when he spoke, his voice blared not only throughout the Ranger Union, but as loud as possible through the speaker of every Capture Styler currently active on the planet.

"This is Top Vatonage Ranger Charley Mason reporting. Code Red. All Rangers, return to your posts immediately. We've got a world-ending crisis Sinnoh. All Rangers, Operators, stay on high alert. This is not a drill. Professor Hastings, Chairperson Erma, report."

At once, over a thousand different voices, all sounding minorly panicked at the sudden, dire orders, agreed to the Top Ranger's orders. Professor Hastings ran into the control room, followed by Chairperson Erma.

"Report, Charley Mason!" Hastings wheezed.

"Professor, we need an immediate evac of Sinnoh. _Everyone,_ " he added at Professor Hastings's dumbfounded stare. "The legend of the Jewel of Life is true, Professor. And the end of the world starts tomorrow, in Michina Town."

The control room, whose staff occupation count had tripled in the few seconds between his alert and Professor Hastings's arrival, went dead silent.

Charley turns his camera to Sheena and Kevin. "Tell them what you told me, starting with the device."

It only took a few minutes, but it felt as though hours had gone by. Professor Hastings sat heavily in a chair when she finished.

"My god…" Hastings muttered. "It makes Operation Brighton look like a cakewalk…"

"I'll be honest, Professor, I would prefer Operation Brighton over this, any day." Charley trailed off, looking minorly depressed. That really hit home with the staff. Charley, who usually seemed so cheerful, stared at a spot outside of their limited vision. The staff knew that, while the Vatonage Ranger joked about it, he had hated Operation Brighton ever since that night. His closest partners, whom he bunked with when staying at Ranger Stations around the world, had heard his nightmare-induced screaming in the middle of the night in the weeks since, and they couldn't blame him.

"And the only way to stop Arceus…?"

"Lies within this poem," Charley confirmed. "The english translation is as follo-"

An Earthshaking explosion rocks the building, throwing the Ranger off his feet. The Union could only watch helplessly as the earthquake shook the building so much, the screen was hardly discernible. "RUN!" Charley screamed.

The Union watched helplessly as Charley grabbed Sheena and half guided, half dragged her back out the door, Kevin on their heels. Every time they stood, the shaking knocked them down again. They crawled up the steps as huge chunks of ancient stone started falling down around them.

"LOOK OUT!" A voice screamed a split second before Charley felt himself shoved roughly aside. The next second, he cried out as Kevin's body was crushed by a giant slab of stone. An agonized yell called him away from his panic, and he rushed around the side of the stone, using it for support. There, he found Sheena, her screaming caused by the stone, which had pinned her leg.

"Sheena!" Charley yelled. He crouched down, putting his chest over her head as more pieces of stone began to crumble around them. He placed his fingers on the stone to either side of her leg and lifted, but in vain. He thought for a moment, bracing himself once again over her, to protect her from the falling debris. He was struck again and again, but after a moment a wheezed cry alerted him to his partner, who had found him once again.

"Torkoal!" Quickly, Charley grabbed his backpack and slid it up against Sheena's leg, to the right side. She gasped in pain, but she couldn't stop him. "Quick, use Overheat on the right side of the stone!"

Torkoal cried out, and a white hot beam of pure, unholy fire raged from his mouth. It cut through the stone like it was made of butter, but since it was aimed downhill, only a few flecks of magma hit the backpack, burning small holes in it before fizzling out. With the stone reduced to less than half it's size, Charley rolled it off her with ease. He winced at her wound; the leg was completely trashed. It would probably need to be amputated. "C'mon!" He grabbed her, and as he did so the shaking seemed to start to taper off. He could keep his balance, at least.

He put Sheena's arm around his and half carried, half dragged her away from the stonework. The coliseum like structure seemed to be coming down. When he got to the lot, he dumped Sheena carefully across the back seat of the Jeep and was about to climb in when she screamed, "NO!"

She was looking past him, and a split second later a giant, towering stone replaced the car. It had completely, utterly flatted the jeep, with her inside. Charley sank to his knees in shock. The camera on his Styler shook horribly, in sync with that of his hands, so that the Union could see nothing but blurs. Many of them were in shock as well, to no surprise.

Charley seemed ready to break down, but a shout erupted above him, dragging everything from his mind.

" _THERE WILL BE JUSTICE!"_

The voice was filled with pure, utter hatred, and the Vatonage Ranger looked up as the sky itself seemed to be cut in two, stabbed as though a God has taken a giant knife to the blue threads. Fire seemed to erupt from the hole, and with it a pokemon Charley had only heard of in fairy tales and legends exploded outwards, and on Michina Town the fires fell like enormous, flaming teardrops.

" _JUSTICE!"_ Arceus screams again, his glowing red eyes inflamed as he raises his face to the heavens. The rift vanished, but the sky bled red from the fire and smoke. An orb of pure energy formed at his nose, and it launched towards the sky. It reached a peak and exploded like a giant firework. Hundreds of balls of fire rained down from the spot, and each impact was like a Dragonite's Hyper Beam: Explosions rocked the surface once more, throwing Charley off his feet.

He struggled to gain his footing, but when he did, his fear was gone. He stared defiantly at Arceus.

"ARCEUS!" He yelled the name to the heavens, and the beast looked down venomously at the Ranger. The Union members seemed to back up in fear, despite only watching through a screen.

" _A puny human dares address me? Foolish choice, young one."_ A Hyper Beam forms in front of him, and Charley barely dives out of the way as it launches itself towards him. He's blown off his feet, landing in a heap at the edge of the parking lot. Looking over, Charley realizes he's only a few feet away from the cliff, a six hundred foot drop off, ending in a sparkling river below.

"I am not weak," he retorts savagely, standing and moving away from the edge. "I am Vatonage Ranger Charley Mason, defeater of Brighton, Top Ranger, befriender of Darkrai! You will not defeat me! CAPTURE, ON!"

The top explodes out of the Styler with a force only talked about in the retelling of Charley's tale, for never before had it been recorded. It sparked and spun maddeningly fast, wrapping itself around Arceus with a speed no Ranger had thought possible.

Arceus simply flicked his head, and the top careened out of the air as though struck by a plane. It landed in a heap at Charley's feet, and he knew there was no way.

"No…" Charley said, falling to his knees. Torkoal cowered next to him.

" _There is no winning, human, though I admire your courage,"_ Arceus said, sounding amused. _Perhaps you are just foolish. Thank you for entertaining me, mortal. Now, die."_

The next explosion detonated right in front of him, shrapnel piercing his chest as the force of the blast sent the Ranger and Pokemon tumbling mercilessly off the cliff. When Charley impacted the water below, the screen in the Union went black.

The entire room stood there in shocked silence, until one of the Rangers took a hesitant step forward. She put a confused hand towards the screen, then fell to her knees, sobbing.


	5. Chapter 4: The End of the Beginning

**-Several Hours Later, 8 PM (15 Hours Before Yuuki's Arrival in Celestic)-**

The Ranger sighed in content as the sun shined warmly down upon him. He was laying in his parent's old pool, the water gently lapping at him, tempting him to lean his head back, to slip off into dreamland.

He wanted to, as well. It seemed like such a simple concept: let go for a while, rest and relax within the shallows. He started leaning back, his eyes slowly shutting. However, he could feel something on his chest, a weight of some sort. He opened an eye and atop him sat a multicolored blob, blurred out by his tired eyes. It ran it's small hands over his chest, and he gasped as a tight pain erupted, searing through him.

Reality slapping him in the face, as usual.

At once, he woke up, jerking forward so violently that the wild Kirlia that had been tending to his chest was thrown several feet away. She landed in a heap at the edge of the river with a startled "Kia!"

As quickly as he had sat up, however, Charley fell backwards as his entire body exploded in agony. His last memories came rushing back to him without mercy: The temple imploding, Sheena and Kevin getting crushed, Arceus awaking and tossing him aside like a worthless toy. The very last thing he remembered was the air rushing by him so quickly that he couldn't breathe, before his face seemed to shatter into a million pieces. Darkness.

The Kirlia quickly ran up to him, running her hands over his chest once more, her small hands glowing with green energy. The wounds on his chest were the most life threatening, she was sure: large, jagged pieces of stone had gouged out large parts of his skin. It was a miracle he was alive, even though she and several others had been continuously working on reviving him since he'd landed. She remembered it well: His body, wreathed in fire, had landed in the water. His Torkoal had landed, too, but he had been protected by his shell. She had gone to Torkoal and helped him rescue the man, for she recognized his voice when he spoke in her mind, back when he had been fighting Darkrai. Since then, she and several other psychic types had taken him to a small place by the river, hidden by a bush of leaves, and had been taking turns working themselves to exhaustion with their healing abilities.

His chest was mostly healed now, but the rest of his wounds were only touched up enough to prevent him from dieing. Now that his body was awake, though, she used his energy, combined with hers, to amp up the process. Very, very slowly, the cuts all across his chest, legs, arms, and neck started closing simultaneously, turning from the jagged, barely-closed scabs they had been left as, to wounds that looked several days old. New skin had grown in place. Charley's breathing slowly went back to normal, and as he fell to sleep once again, his heart stabilized.

Torkoal watched from a few steps behind as Kirlia stepped back, falling onto her back in exhaustion. She looked up into his eyes, gave him a weak smile, then fainted.

When she awoke, it was dark, and she slept on a small bed of leaves, fairly close to a small campfire. Torkoal laid nearby, conversing quietly with several other pokemon. A dark shape laid behind him, awake but seemingly exhausted. Kirlia groaned tiredly, and in response a hand delicately stroked her head. She realized only then that her head was in the lap of another female Kirlia: her girlfriend. She blushed heavily and sat up, managing to adjust herself so she was leaning against her rather than laying on her.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Charley said to her. He smiled tiredly in her direction. "We tried to wake you up, but you exhausted yourself a lot more than you should have, finishing my healing like that. Thank you."

The girl just nods, leaning against her mate. The other chuckles, moving so as to hug her. Charley raises his voice slightly, addressing the group as a whole, which consisted of the two Kirlias, a Grumpig, a couple of Meditite and a Medicham, an Abra with a bandaged foot, and a tired looking Gallade. The latter had several jagged scars down his arms and legs, and several wounds that had been bandaged by the Ranger once he'd woken up. "My Styler's Radar Function says that a friend of mine is heading for Celestic Town. I'd like to head down there. I cannot thank you enough for protecting me while I was out, not to mention saving my life, but I can start by offering my protection. At this point, I've got to find her and get to a safe house. It's near Route 210. You all could go there if you like. I'm going to leave the decision to Gallade, here, since he appears to be your unchosen leader," Charley adds, nodding respectfully towards the Gallade. He nods back, and although the movement causes him to wince slightly, Charley is sure that the Blade Pokemon would defend the other members of the band without hesitation.

" _Thank you for the offer, Ranger."_ Gallade's voice sounds in his head. " _I think, however, that it would be unsafe to travel with you. If Arceus realizes you're alive, he will hunt you down. I think the best thing to do would be to guide my group to Route 210. Perhaps, if we meet again, we will travel there together."_

Charley nods. "The best of luck to you then, and may good fortune fall upon you." With that, he pulls himself shakily to his feet, taking a moment to stretch. His uniform had long since been shredded to make his and Gallade's bandages, so he wore a white t shirt that was much to short for him, and his black shorts. (The shirt had been taken from the remains of a department store in Michina Town.) His abs, which somehow had remained untouched, shown from under his shirt, and both the Kirlia blushed heavily, though he took no notice in the semi darkness of the early morning. He nods to the group as a whole one last time, then walks away, Torkoal trailing behind him.

From what he could tell, the Vatonage Ranger had fallen into the river Nunquam Fuit, which even by itself was a death sentence. Combined with his injuries and exhaustion, he could figure out no possible explanation as to why he survived the initial fall, other than dumb luck. Of course, he wouldn't've survived anyway had the pokemon not come to his aid. After the Kirlia had healed him enough to keep him alive, she had left Torkoal to guard him while she fetched her group. Speaking of which…

Charley looks up, noticing that he'd arrived at the base of the cliff. Ignoring the city behind him, he looks at a spot on the bank, where the sand had been turned pink by his blood. He turns his gaze to the Coal Pokemon beside him. "Thanks, Torkoal." The Ranger was never one for mushy speeches, despite somehow having a natural talent for them, but Torkoal got the message. He grinned his usual, cheeky smile, which Charley returned as they made their way towards the city.

Their smiles quickly faded, however, as the ruins came into full view. All around them, the once thriving, beautiful town of Michina was reduced to a giant pile of smoking rubble. Again and again Charley turned his gaze away from the remains of people and pokemon alike, the normally cheery trainer quickly losing himself in the wasteland.

He finally arrived at the town square, which he had walked through not two days ago. He closed his eyes and remembered the vibrant colors, the cheerful squeals of people and pokemon as they worked together in their chaotic, yet organized daily lives. Then he opened them once again, and not for the life of him could he see the memory hidden within the desolate piles of crumbled rock and wood. Then he turned his gaze to the middle of the field, where a small plot of grass, about five feet square, surrounded a flag pole. Atop the pole, tattered, burned, and limp, stood a white flag. He gazed for a moment at it, for the pole itself seemed barely able to stand, yet it was.

As he watched, a gust of wind flew across the plain. Dust rose, and just for a moment, the flag rustled and spread out within the wind. On it, in the center, was a charcoal sketch of Xerneas. Above it, "Michina Town" written in bold, black letters.

And below that, the word 'Vitam' stood out over the white cloth.

 _Life._

"I understand…" Charley whispered. He stood straighter, and with a forced air, he strode across the square, stopping only when he found a broken board, almost like a quarter of an old door. He took it back to the pole, thought for a moment, then started to write, cutting the words into the wood with his knife. He laughed to himself once or twice during the ordeal.

 _Alright, listen up. I've got a lot of things to say and not much time to say it…_

When he was finished, he held the board against the pole at chest height, then drove his knife as hard as he possibly could into the top of the board. It struck fast, barreling through the door and sticking into the pole behind it. When he stepped back, it held steady. Charley nodded. Now, then…

Charley sighed, then, tapping on his Styler, he pointed down the road which he and Torkoal had originally arrived here by.

 **-2 Hours Later (12 Hours Before Yuuki's Arrival in Celestic)-**

The Ranger sat tiredly against a rock, leaning down to cup his hands in the river as he did so. He brought the water quickly onto his face, splashing it comfortably onto him. He stretched, gazing around as he did so. He had quickly maneuvered off the beaten path to Veilstone, preferring a more direct route to Celestic.

He laid back against the rock, taking a moment to close his eyes. It only seemed like a moment, but when he opened them, the light had changed significantly. He checked his Styler, annoyed to see that he had slept for nearly three hours. Thankfully, Yuuki was still beelining for Celestic, but he had to be quick. He jumped up, startling Torkoal, who had been asleep beside him.

"You coulda woke me up, ya know," Charley frowned at his partner. "Anyway, we need to find a Staraptor." As he said this, a wild Pidgeot momentarily appears above the clearing, heading farther down river. "Or, you know, a Pidgeot," Charley muttered.

Torkoal wheezed a laugh as they set off quickly towards the Bird Pokemon. A half hour of walking brought them to an impressive sight: the Lake of Fuit. Charley gazed around in awe. It was a fairly large lake near route 210, as well as the turning point of the river. Sure enough, Charley turned his gaze South East, where the river continued towards Route 215, eventually coming out in Lake Valor.

Several pokemon cries brought the Vatonage Ranger's attention back to the lake itself. The wild pokemon gazed nervously at him. He could tell they were shaken by the recent events, and he put his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "No cause for alarm," he promised. "I was going to ask for help from the Pidgeot that I saw fly down here. I need transport to Celestic Town, as quickly as possible."

The pokemon continued to gaze at him, to the point where Charley backed up a step. Then, a Pichu broke away from the group, approaching him timidly. Charley kneeled down, putting a hand out towards it. The Pichu shivered, crying out nervously, but she calmed when he put his hand gently on her ears and rubbed. This friendly gesture seemed to be enough for the other pokemon, for they stopped glaring and seemed much warmer to the intruders.

The Pichu broke away from Charley, waving its little arms in a 'follow me' motion, setting off down the lakeside. Charley followed, greeting the pokemon as he did so. There were dozens at the lake, drinking, eating, and talking. All seemed battered and bruised, and Charley felt a twinge of shame. He knew he shouldn't have; after all, there was no way he could've stopped Arceus. All the same…

The Ranger snapped to his senses as they passed a boulder that had been blocking his view. Pidgeot laid comfortably in his large nest, but instantly came alert when the Ranger came into sight. Quickly, however, he calmed as Pichu jumped up onto the nest wall, chattering madly. A moment later the bird nodded.

Charley brought his Capture Styler up, showing off the device to the Pidgeot. "Would it be ok if I use this on you? It'll be easier to fly if we're connected. It doesn't hurt, and I promise it isn't permanent. Capture On!" Charley added as Pidgeot nodded once again. The top burst out of the Styler and quickly started spinning around the Bird Pokemon. The beam of light tightened around his body, intensely brightening for a moment before vanishing completely.

"Capture Complete," Charley says as the top flies back into the Styler. "Let's go."

 **-8 Hours Later-**

"It looks like Yuuki just landed," Charley says. "I can't wait to see her." He pats Pidgeot's neck, earning a delighted caw from him. Charley himself was starting to get sore from the light haul, but he knew it was nothing compared to the tiredness of Pidgeot, so he kept it to himself. Torkoal, who had been riding on his human Partner's lap, grinned.

Charley sighed and moved his Styler arm up to his chest. "'Aight, I suppose I should see if I can fix anything on this." He tapped a couple times, making sure that his assumptions were correct, which they were: only the most basic functions of the Styler were working. Capture, of course, was in pristine condition, excluding the fact that it was running outta juice. He'd need to find an electric type soon or risk running his Styler completely out of battery. The other, Radar, was also working, although Charley was disappointed that the blue LED hadn't blinked yet. That meant that he wasn't being tracked, which meant that they couldn't track him for some reason.

Or, more likely, they all thought him dead.

Charley sighed, knowing that no tools meant no easy fixes. In desperation, he clicked the automatic diagnostic. It was _supposed_ to be able to fix any minor glitches in the system, which can happen due to things like excessive force exerted on the Styler. It usually didn't work too well.

It was about a half hour before the diagnostic finished, and Charley was pleasantly surprised when the Styler's screen presented a fix for his Communications. He sighs annoyedly to himself.

"The only time I get good luck is during the damned apocalypse... Figures." Torkoal chuckles as the annoyed Top Ranger activates the fix, and it's nearly another forty minutes before the device finishes. Naturally, his mic would take longer to recalibrate, so he could only listen in.

He takes a deep breath, then presses a button on his Styler. All Ranger's devices were automatically tuned into whatever was going on on the main screen, as well as the main camera, where the leaders could direct them. Charley raised a brow as the screen split into three parts. The top left held a worried looking Professor Hastings and Chairperson Erma, the right a panic-stricken Sven.

Then his eyes widened in horror as he looked at the bottom half, where Yuuki laid crumpled on a stone floor with chunks of rock all around her. Her leg was trashed, as if she had fallen. The camera angled upwards, where a mean looking Houndoom stared down at her from the lip of what he quickly realized was a cave.

"SVEN, MOVE!" Professor Hastings shouted.

"Oh man," Charley muttered. He put his arm down on Pidgeot's neck, urging him to go faster. They could see Celestic in the distance now, but even as they started to dive, Houndoom put a claw against Yuuki's shorts, cutting them open. In any other circumstance, Charley would've blushed heavily as his girlfriend started moaning heavily, but he was too panicked to care at this point.

And then Pidgeot landed outside the rim of the cave, Charley grabbed Torkoal and rushed to the rim, one hand waving a thanks to Pidgeot, who got the message. The other flung out as he ordered a command. Torkoal blasted a Flamethrower into the cave with masterful precision. It came within inches of Yuuki but did no damage to her. Instead, it blasted Houndoom across the cave floor. Without even stopping to consider the edge, Charley jumped from the cliff, shouting, "Flamethrower, again!"

He ducked and rolled on the cave floor, ignoring the pain in his neck as he impacted heavily. He continued through the roll and ended on his feet, blasting the top out of his Capture Styler before he was even fully standing; "Capture, ON!"

He spun the top with a vengeance, almost completing the Capture before Houndoom knew what he was doing. In desperation, Houndoom lashed at the band, but Charley had seen it coming; he pulled his arm towards him, and the top's circular motion abruptly became an oval, bypassing his attack before coming back closer. It brightened as it clamped around his body, then vanished.

"Capture Complete," Charley says, relieved. "Houndoom, go up and help my Partner protect this area."

Charley took a deep breath as he watched Houndoom take his tricky path. When he reached the top, the Ranger turned to Yuuki, who gasped.

"Ch-Ch-Charley?!"

* * *

 **Nunquam Fuit: Latin for 'Never Would Have Been.**


End file.
